


MKDR

by C107



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Because it's Nagito, F/M, Fluff, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, POV Komaeda Nagito, Rare Pairings, Self-Esteem Issues, Ultimate Talent Development Plan (Dangan Ronpa), i love them, inb4 he tries to blow up the gym a second time, nagito is touch-starved k thanks, so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-11 13:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19928548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C107/pseuds/C107
Summary: "It was beautiful.The melody that filled the music room was beautiful."In which Nagito makes a friend.





	MKDR

“So, uh, Nagito…” Kazuichi addressed him when the glass bottle came to a stop. Nagito looked across the circle of fifteen with a grin. “Have your eyes on anyone?”

He shrugged, grin widening.

“Well, I’m actually in love with...all of you ultimates and the hope that sleeps inside you!”

The fifteen other students let out a collective sigh of irritation. 

“He means,” Fuyuhiko began, “is there anyone _special_ that you’re trying to impress?”

Nagito took a moment to ponder that question. If they weren’t going to accept his love for them as an actual answer, then there was only one other person that came to mind. 

“Oh. You want me to talk about _her,_ huh?”

“Don’t get all cryptic and shit. Just say her name, dumbass–” ''She’s...an angel, really.”

After cutting off the mafia boss, the luckster uncrossed his legs and leaned back, using his hands to hold himself up. He stared at a random crack in the ceiling of Chiaki’s dorm.

“I don’t know why she wastes her time with someone like me. The kindness of ultimates is truly amazing, but she takes it to an entirely new level. N-Not that I’m trying to downplay the greatness of you all or anything! She just shines brighter than anyone I’ve ever known. She’s...so hopeful.”

Hiyoko cringed, “You could’ve just told us her name, you know! If this mushy talk goes on any longer, I’m gonna puke!”

“Assuming it is someone from this class, would it be...you, Chiaki?” Sonia smiled, “I know that you, in particular, have made an effort to get close to Nagito.”

“Whoa...Ibuki totally never saw that coming!” 

“Gunning for the class rep, I see. Not bad!”

“U-Um, you two have to remember that...safety comes first! Always protect yourselves!”

“I see...so the cursed one has taken an interest in the harmless kitten, ready to sell her soul to the Dark Ones so that they may slowly devour it. Be mindful, Chiaki, and do not let yourself be corrupted.”

Chiaki pulled the hood of her jacket over her head. “...I’m pretty sure Nagito’s special person isn’t anyone from this class, though.”

“Well anyway, I stand by what I said. I really, truly love all of you and–”

What could have been a hope speech was interrupted by a ring of Chiaki’s doorbell.

“Oh, oh, oh! I got it!” Ibuki raced to the door and unlocked it before swinging it open and giving the visitor a bright grin. “Welcome!”

The blonde smiled sheepishly. “Uh, hello. Pardon the intrusion.”

Nagito watched Kaede trail along the outside of the circle to get to him. The girl held something in her hands, and he didn’t have time to wonder what it could have been before she crouched down next to him, thrusting it at him. 

“I noticed how you didn’t eat anything for lunch today, so I made this for you. It probably isn’t much compared to the Ultimate Chef’s cooking, but…” She trailed off, taking a seat between him and Akane, whose ears perked up at the mention of food.

“Thank you, Kaede. Taking time out of your day to feed someone so pathetic…” Nagito looked to the bento box that was now in his lap. “You really are amazing.” 

Kaede frowned, and he wondered what he had said wrong. He hadn’t called himself useless this time, as she had forbidden him from doing that. 

The girl let out a sigh. It was beautiful, even though it was one of disappointment.

“Nagito, just eat. I’ll force-feed you if you don’t.” With a crossing of her arms and a slight puffing of her cheeks, the pianist began waiting for Nagito to taste the food she had prepared. 

“I made it with a lot of love, so I hope you’ll like it,” she said, smiling, after a moment had passed. All eyes in the room were on the two of them (well, Akane’s eyes were on the food), but she didn’t seem to notice. 

Hearing her say those words, Nagito began eating right away. The food tasted delicious, he thought, but even if it didn’t, he would have still enjoyed it. Kaede made it for him, after all. 

“Nagito, hold on.”

Kaede held up a hand, and the boy stopped, mild confusion appearing on his features.

“You got bean paste on your face. Jeez, what am I gonna do with you?” He could tell the question was rhetorical. “Taking care of you is fine for now, but you need to learn to take care of yourself, too,” the pianist said, holding a handkerchief up near the corner of his mouth and wiping his face. Nagito shivered at her gentle touch. “Start eating more, and sleeping more, too. Well, maybe I'm not the best person to be giving advice like that since...I tend to skip out on the sleeping and eating to play the piano."

“Um, Kaede, is this really appropriate?”

“Hm?” Then, she stopped wiping at the spot on Nagito’s flushed face where the bean paste had long since been wiped away and looked up, eyes scanning all fourteen of the people she had been ignoring the entire time.

“Oh, right! I haven’t introduced myself!” She smiled at the members of the seventy-seventh class. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, from the seventy-ninth class. It’s nice to meet you all.”

The class was silent.

Kazuichi was the first to speak up.

“So this is her, huh?"

* * *

It was beautiful.

The melody that filled the music room was beautiful. 

He thanked his luck for leading him there, thanked the two ultimates that decided to grab him by the arms and feet and carry him there. Being able to listen to the music the Ultimate Pianist was practicing made him feel giddy with euphoria, and he had to stop himself from letting out a squeal that could disturb her. He watched, listened, from a shadowed corner of the room, letting himself be affected by the pianist’s spell.

When Kaede Akamatsu (he had found her name on the Hope’s Peak website before the school year began) finished playing the piano, she let her shoulders relax, and a lock of blonde hair fell over her shoulder. She let out a breath, a content smile gracing her features.

Then, she turned to him.

“Oh, hey. Did you like it? It kind of a work in progress, but I like how it’s coming along so far.”

She spoke casually, as if he were a friend she was hanging out with after school and not a complete stranger that stumbled upon her during a lunch break.

“It was amazing! I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Ultimate Pianist!”

Kaede’s smile shrunk. 

“Ah, you’re...putting a bit of pressure on me when you say things like that.”

“No, no, what I meant was...by displaying your talent, you’re able to spread hope to others, and you’re doing a wonderful job of that.”

The pianist’s smile returned, this time even wider. “You really think so?”

Nagito met her expression with a grin of his own. “Of course. Ultimates are this world’s beacons of hope. If they all banded together, they could create a beautiful hope that could overcome any despair. They’re inspiring, really, and they’re so kind! Like the two that carried me here after putting a bag over my head! Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to witness your performance!

“Ultimates shape the future of society. The world as we know it wouldn’t be the same without them. No, a world without ultimates, I couldn’t dare imagi–”

Kaede put her hands over his mouth to silence him.

“Please calm down…?”

Nagito nodded.

“Alright. I’m gonna lower my hands now.”

Kaede did just that after a second, staring up at him.

“What’s your name? You never told me.”

He mentally facepalmed for letting himself forget that not everyone visited Hope’s Peak’s website as frequently as he did.

“I’m Nagito Komaeda. It’s a pretty disappointing talent, but...I’m lucky.” He shrugged with a grin, and Kaede crossed her arms.

“You may be a little weird, but I'm sure your talent isn’t disappointing. You made it into this school just like the rest of us, so it has to mean something. You can tell me about it while we walk. How does that sound?”

“That’s…”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to.” She glanced to the side, smile not matching the dejected look in her eyes.

“No, just… Where are we going?”

* * *

Looking back on it, he couldn't quite pinpoint when the touching began.

However, he knew it had started with brief instances when Kaede would give him a pat on the head despite the fact that he was taller than her. When she would say something to tease him and reach up to poke the side of his face. When he would say something especially self-deprecating, and she would raise a hand to cup his cheek.

Call him greedy, but he could never get enough of it.

Times when Kaede's side would brush against his while she tried to make herself comfortable on the music room's piano bench were enough to make him shiver. Moments like these, when the girl would run her fingers through his hair while he rested his head in her lap, well…

Oh, but don't get the wrong idea! It wasn't as if someone like him would ever _dare_ to ask an ultimate to dirty their hands with him. However, Kaede had insisted, so there was no way he could've refused.

_"Nagito, you seem tired…" She met his expression with one of worry, hands gripping the straps of her backpack as she made her way across the courtyard with him._

_"Ah, I'm fine! You don't have to trouble yourself with someone like–" "Let's go over there so you can get some rest." She cut him off, pointing to a nearby tree._

"Nagito, are you still awake?"

"...I am. I'm sorry."

Kaede let out a small sigh, playing with the end of a lock of his hair.

"There's no need to apologize, you know? You haven't really done anything wrong. But it's okay to relax. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"You aren't?"

"Of course not." 

She said those words in a way that made him want to listen to her voice forever, continuing to comb her fingers through his hair.

"Just sleep, Nagito. It's alright."

He raised his head slowly, sitting up to look at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"I think...it would help if I could listen to your heartbeat."

She stared at him for a moment, purple eyes wider than usual, and he was about to call off the request before he found the side of his head being hugged to her chest. Kaede loosened her hold on him just enough for him to make himself comfortable and moved her arms so they could wrap around his waist. 

"K-Kaede…"

He fell asleep in what felt like no time at all.

* * *

"Nagito, _what the hell?_ "

"It was for hope, Kaede."

The pianist crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowing. The light of the setting sun shined on her face through one of the classroom's windows, making her appear even more beautiful than usual. However, he had never seen her so angry. 

"Nagito, no matter what your intentions were, you shouldn't have attempted to poison the Reserve Course students' food!"

As if it would help her get her point across, she grabbed his shoulders and shook them roughly. 

"What if you had gotten away with it? What if they had died or gotten sick? What do you think would've happened to you?!"

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and her hold on him weakened. Kaede's body shook as if it were taking every ounce of willpower she had in order to keep herself standing. 

"You're no monster, Nagito. You're my friend, a-and...I just want what's best for you. So when stuff like this happens, I…" Her voice cracked, and Nagito wondered if he was supposed to be doing something to comfort her. "I start to really worry about you. Of course I'm angry and disappointed, but...I know that you aren't like this. That's why I can't understand why you would do something like this…

"I don't know what was going through your head. I don't understand, but I want to understand. I want...to understand you. I want to get closer to you. I want to make you stop hurting, I want to make you happy, I want to make you smile for real. At least...once."

"Kaede?"

Nagito raised a hand to reach out to her before retracting it as if he'd been burned. He watched as the pianist trembled, not sure whether she wanted him to touch her or not. 

"Promise me, Nagito," she croaked, "promise you won't try something like this again."

The luckster stood from his seat and walked around the desk to take her in his arms. The girl sobbed into his shoulder, and he used a hand to stroke her hair before leading her to the wall. He rested his back against it, letting Kaede hug him as tight as she felt like. 

. . .

Some time passed.

"Kaede?" 

Save for the sound of her soft breathing, there was no response.

_'Ah. She's asleep.'_

Her hold on him had loosened, so he would've been able to stand up with little effort if he desired to do so. He didn't want to wake her, however. He wanted to hold her for just a little longer. 

_'Kaede, you're truly...amazing. You're so patient with me. I don't understand why you would waste your time being so kind to someone like me, but–"_

As if she had heard his thoughts, Kaede let out a slight grumble in her sleep.

"A-Ah, wait, shh!"

His voice had come out louder than intended. Fortunately for him, the blonde didn't show any signs of waking up. He let out a breath of relief, shoulders relaxing where they had tensed, and his thumbs rubbed idle circles in Kaede's sides.

"Someone like you… It wouldn't be inaccurate to call you my hope, would it?"

There was no response, but his lips curled upward anyway. 

_'Perhaps I'll...rest for a bit.'_

**_Friendship Fragment obtained! Kaede Akamatsu's report card has been updated based on your experience with her!_ **

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked this!
> 
> Originally, I had a bunch of scenes planned for this that would have allowed me to have a lot of fun with it, but I cut them out for length's sake. I had planned for there to be a lot of Izuru involved, and the sleepover scene would have been way longer. Miu and Kokichi would've been there too. The 77th and 79th classes would've also become two huge Kaede harems, and there would've been a war between them and stuff?? 
> 
> uh, anyway, all of that was scrapped because i wanted this to be a short one-shot that just focused on kaede and nagito's developing relationship because kaede is the friend he needs okay thanks
> 
> also, the two students that carried nagito to the music room were kokichi and miu. they were working together to set kaede up with someone so-


End file.
